George Head
Encyclopedia
Sir George Head was an English commissariat
officer and deputy Knight Marshal
.
Head, elder brother of Sir Francis Bond Head
, was born at the Hermitage in the parish of Higham, Kent
, in 1782, but there is no entry of his baptism in Higham parish register.
He was educated at the Charterhouse. In 1808 he became a captain
in the West Kent
militia, then at Woodbridge, Suffolk
, but in the following year joined the British Army
at Lisbon
as a clerk in the commissariat. He served during the remainder of the Peninsular War
, following the army to the fields of Vitoria
, Nivelle
, and Toulouse
, and to the actions in the Pyrenees
. He was promoted to be deputy-assistant commissary-general in 1811, and assistant commissary-general on 25 December 1814. From May 1813 he was in charge of the commissariat of the 3rd division of the Spanish army under Sir Thomas Picton
, concerning whom he has recorded many interesting particulars in the Memoirs of an Assistant Commissary-General.
Returning to in August 1814, he was on the following 28 October ordered to proceed to Halifax, Nova Scotia
; thence he went to Quebec
, and was afterwards employed on Lake Huron
. In ten months he came back to England, and after a year's holiday returned to Halifax, where he remained five years on the peace establishment. Subsequently he served in Ireland, and in 1823 was placed on half-pay.
In 1829 he published his Canadian reminiscences under the title of Forest Scenery and Incidents in the Wilds of North America. At the coronation of William IV
he acted as deputy knight-marshal, and for his services on that occasion was knighted on 12 October 1831. At a later period he became deputy Knight Marshal to Queen Victoria.
He gained considerable repute for two works entitled A Home Tour through the Manufacturing Districts of England in the Summer of 1835, and A Home Tour through various parts of the United Kingdom in 1837, with an Appendix, being Memoirs of an Assistant Commissary-General, both works being reprinted in one volume in 1840. In 1849 he published in three volumes Rome, a Tour of Many Days, and he afterwards translated The Metamorphoses of Apuleius, 1851, and Historical Memoirs of Cardinal B. Pacca, 1850, in two volumes. To the Quarterly Review
he was a frequent contributor. He was a popular author, and had much of the graphic power of description possessed by his brother. He died in Cockspur Street, Charing Cross
, London, on 2 May 1855, unmarried.
Commissariat
A commissariat is the department of an army charged with the provision of supplies, both food and forage, for the troops. The supply of military stores such as ammunition is not included in the duties of a commissariat. In almost every army the duties of transport and supply are performed by the...
officer and deputy Knight Marshal
Knight Marshal
The Knight Marshal is a former office in the British Royal Household established by King Henry III in 1236. The position later became a Deputy to the Earl Marshal from the reign of Henry VIII until the office was abolished in 1846 ....
.
Head, elder brother of Sir Francis Bond Head
Francis Bond Head
Sir Francis Bond Head, 1st Baronet KCH PC , known as "Galloping Head", was Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada during the rebellion of 1837.-Biography:...
, was born at the Hermitage in the parish of Higham, Kent
Higham, Kent
Higham is a small village bordering the Hoo Peninsula, in Kent, between Gravesend and Rochester. The civil parish of Higham is in Gravesham district and as at the 2001 UK Census, had a population of 3,938.-History:...
, in 1782, but there is no entry of his baptism in Higham parish register.
He was educated at the Charterhouse. In 1808 he became a captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in the West Kent
West Kent
West Kent and East Kent are one-time traditional subdivisions of the English county of Kent, kept alive by the Association of the Men of Kent and Kentish Men: an organisation formed in 1913....
militia, then at Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with...
, but in the following year joined the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
at Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
as a clerk in the commissariat. He served during the remainder of the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
, following the army to the fields of Vitoria
Battle of Vitoria
At the Battle of Vitoria an allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish army under General the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, leading to eventual victory in the Peninsular War.-Background:In July 1812, after...
, Nivelle
Battle of Nivelle
The Battle of Nivelle took place in front of the River Nivelle near the end of the Peninsular War . After the Allied siege of San Sebastian, Wellington's 80,000 British, Portuguese and Spanish troops were in hot pursuit of Marshal Soult who only had 60,000 men to place in a 20-mile perimeter...
, and Toulouse
Battle of Toulouse (1814)
The Battle of Toulouse was one of the final battles of the Napoleonic Wars, four days after Napoleon's surrender of the French Empire to the nations of the Sixth Coalition...
, and to the actions in the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
. He was promoted to be deputy-assistant commissary-general in 1811, and assistant commissary-general on 25 December 1814. From May 1813 he was in charge of the commissariat of the 3rd division of the Spanish army under Sir Thomas Picton
Thomas Picton
Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton GCB was a Welsh British Army officer who fought in a number of campaigns for Britain, and rose to the rank of lieutenant general...
, concerning whom he has recorded many interesting particulars in the Memoirs of an Assistant Commissary-General.
Returning to in August 1814, he was on the following 28 October ordered to proceed to Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
; thence he went to Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, and was afterwards employed on Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
. In ten months he came back to England, and after a year's holiday returned to Halifax, where he remained five years on the peace establishment. Subsequently he served in Ireland, and in 1823 was placed on half-pay.
In 1829 he published his Canadian reminiscences under the title of Forest Scenery and Incidents in the Wilds of North America. At the coronation of William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
he acted as deputy knight-marshal, and for his services on that occasion was knighted on 12 October 1831. At a later period he became deputy Knight Marshal to Queen Victoria.
He gained considerable repute for two works entitled A Home Tour through the Manufacturing Districts of England in the Summer of 1835, and A Home Tour through various parts of the United Kingdom in 1837, with an Appendix, being Memoirs of an Assistant Commissary-General, both works being reprinted in one volume in 1840. In 1849 he published in three volumes Rome, a Tour of Many Days, and he afterwards translated The Metamorphoses of Apuleius, 1851, and Historical Memoirs of Cardinal B. Pacca, 1850, in two volumes. To the Quarterly Review
Quarterly Review
The Quarterly Review was a literary and political periodical founded in March 1809 by the well known London publishing house John Murray. It ceased publication in 1967.-Early years:...
he was a frequent contributor. He was a popular author, and had much of the graphic power of description possessed by his brother. He died in Cockspur Street, Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
, London, on 2 May 1855, unmarried.
External links
- A Home Tour through the Manufacturing Districts of England in the Summer of 1835 on A Vision of Britain through Time